A Scottish consortium has bought out the original investors in biodiesel producer Argent Energy Plc, Motherwell, Scotland. The consortium, which includes Souter Invesments and existing managers, bought the plant from a group of investors led by Cinven Ltd. who have backed the project since its inception in 2001.READ MORE

Microbiogen, an Australia-based developer of non-genetically modified yeast, recently announced it has secured a $2.5 million government grant. The grant, which was awarded under the Australian government's $15 million Second Generation Biofuels Research and Development Program, will allow the company to further develop its new yeast, which is capable of utilizing both C6 and C5 sugars. Mircobiogen's new variant of yeast has the same characteristics as the strains already in production, however this new strain is able to survive and convert sugars in more difficult environments.READ MORE

Commissioning is complete at a retrofitted biodiesel plant at Houston, Miss., recently purchased by Mississippi Investment Petroleum Co. LLC. MIPCO purchased the plant from Tri-State Petroleum Products LLC, retrofitting the plant with its own reactor designed to process poultry fat and waste vegetable oil. Jon Lunsford, CEO, said they were awaiting confirmation that the fuel meets ASTM standards before starting production at the 8 MMgy plant.READ MORE

New Zealand-based LanzaTech NZ Ltd. recently announced it has developed a proprietary fermentation technology that can be used to produce ethanol using the carbon monoxide and hydrogen components of industrial waste gases and biomass-based syngas.READ MORE

Nevada-based W2 Energy Inc., a green energy equipment developer, expects to have its patented algae bioreactor up and running in Guelph, Ontario, in mid-September, according to CEO Mike McLaren, after which time, the company will begin selling its bio-oil and searching for partners to help commercialize the bioreactor itself. "Our company strategy is joint venture instead of equipment sales," McLaren said. The Sunfilter bioreactor will grow algae to produce bio-oil for biofuels and will be used to sequester carbon dioxide from the company's waste-to-energy processes.READ MORE

Genome British Columbia announced it will be the primary funder of two genomic research projects designed to increase the production of biofuels from biomass grown in British Columbia, particularly from lodgepole pines killed by the current pine beetle infestation and the production of wild poplar trees that could potentially replace them.READ MORE

The U.S.'s Mississippi Delta Region can secure a leadership role in the $140 billion global bioeconomy by leveraging its agricultural and forestry assets and attracting technology partners from outside the region, according to "Regional Strategy for Biobased Products in the Mississippi Delta," a Batelle Technology Partnership Practice study released Aug. 25. The study, initiated by Memphis Bioworks Foundation, covers 98 counties in five states-Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee-and includes participation from several companies and organizations in all five states. The total area of the study covers 36 million acres.READ MORE

Heat Transfer International has nearly completed the installation of a biomass energy plant at a feed mill in Howard City, Mich., which will become the state's first gasification plant and the world's first hot air turbine powered by biomass, according to Pat Dickinson, HTI business developer. The plant will convert turkey litter at Sietsema Farm Feeds into a syngas that will be used to provide the heat and electricity needed to produce turkey feed.READ MORE